The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: fiestyredhead331 on June 02, 2015, 04:49:33 pm
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My youngest (1st year) came home from school the other night all excited waving this bit of paper at me shouting "there's a school trip".....where to I ask?
CHINA he says :o
Trying hard not to kill his dream in one fell swoop I asked to read through the school newsletter so I could see what the deal was. The price per child for this is £2000! Now, to be fair the school are going to try and do some fundraising to ease some of the financial burden but even so there is no way we can stretch to that and when I explained to him that I honestly didn't think we could afford it (we could all go on holiday for a week for that and less!!) he was very pragmatic, saying well I don't like chinese food much anyway ;D
but seriously, what happened to camping trips in France or exchange trips to Germany etc? I appreciate that they are planning going to the Terracotta warriors etc and its 17 days long but personally I think it's pretty poor of the school to suggest this to parents in this current economic climate. Will be interesting to see what the uptake on this trip is.
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I honestly despair of schools that do this. My nephew's lad's school had a trip to Iceland (not the frozen food store) which cost a fortune.
It must put so much pressure on parents, especially if they have several children at school. It must just emphasise the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots".
My view is - if it's part of the curriculum, then all go and it's funded by the school; if it's not part of the curriculum, it's a holiday and isn't the school's responsibility.
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Oli my eldest wad offered a school trip to New York cost 1500 for a 5 day trip including travel time... Not happening...
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my son was heartbroken for 2 yrs in a row as we couldn't afford £800 for a 5 day trip to france. no other option was offered so you either went or you didn't. with Scotland outside the door, they could have a fantastic time for much less. im sure the teachers get all expenses paid.
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I think that is an absolute sin!!!!! It is elitist and creates class barriers
My sister got to go on a school trip in 5th year - a cruise to teh fjords - I have no idea how my parents managed to fund it as Dad was a postie and Mum worked in the office of the family business - not a shareholder. I never got ANY school trips and I haven't suffered. (except for my sister dropping the movie camera I lent her on the deck! :innocent:)
My grandchildren get to go on the PLG trips now they're in senior school and the oldest did get to America last year - but it was certainly worthwhile and her father could afford it.
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im sure the teachers get all expenses paid.
I'm sure they did - but even having all my expenses paid wouldn't tempt me to supervise a group of other people's kids on a school trip ;D
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last year they did a trip to New York and my middle son wanted to go so his dad paid the deposit only for them to announce a seperate trip to Holland to spend a week football training, which he much preferred but what a battle I had getting the school to switch his deposit from NY to Holland!!!
I have emailed the school asking if there are going to be any other more reasonably priced trips in the offing that us mere mortals can afford ;D
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It's nothing new. Way back in the dark ages when I was in the 6th form, a trip was announced to Russia. This was when nobody went there, it was all mysterious, and everyone was advised to take several pairs of Levis because they could sell them for loads. Only one girl from our class could afford to go. Oddly the rest of us just accepted the situation and went on our French and German exchanges which just cost the ferry fare. I much preferred that to something like a week on the train, then another week home again. We really liked the tales Sheila brought back with her, but I don't remember any feeling of 'them' and 'us'.
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Far too much pressure on parents and very unfair on any child who knows they will not be going due to cost.
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Blooming heck I remember being thrilled by a day trip to St Andrews!
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That far, eh! We went to the British Museum - it was a bus ride away. Considering schools are always bandying the word "partnership" around in connection with parents you'd think they could actually ask the parents what they think before opening their big mouths and getting the children revved up. In addition to the trip itself there will be the extras like spending money, a passport and new clothes and luggage for some folks.
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The cost of school trips are getting out of hand. Our sons trip is £598 and oh the school are nice by saying we can pay in two payments. Like we have that money just sat around...
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the school are doing a monthly payment scheme but a deposit of £250 and then over a £100 a month, that's almost my weeks wages!
I don't see why the school can't do a survey amongst parents, its not a huge school so we can sit down with our children and say IF you were to go on a school trip WHERE would you like to go or find out what is a reasonable amount for a family to pay?
But then there's the whole issue of well its ok for you to take my children out of school for 17 days but I have to beg if I want to take them on a family holiday during term time when the prices are reasonable >:(
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When I was at school it was a day trip to London zoo and we paid in weekly instalments, around 2/- a week (ok I am going back a bit). Whe my children were at Primary school they had day trips as well but we would get a letter about it a week or two beforehand and be asked for all the money by return. It wasn't a huge amount but finding it times three was very hard as we were on a very low income at the time.
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When I was at school i went on a ski trip to italy, it cost around £700 plus having to buy all the ski equipment etc. My dad paid for it but i know that I would never be able to afford such a trip for my children.
My eldest daughter went on a day trip to mainland a few weeks ago to the leisure center where they had lots of activities and a roller disco. The ferry fee was funded by the community council so it cost me £3.
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When I was at school i went on a ski trip to italy, it cost around £700 plus having to buy all the ski equipment etc.
I never even bothered to give my parents the skiing trip notes .... having to attend school when others are on an expensive jolly is discriminating and degrading!
Oh and then of course I had twins ... so that meant funding double for every trip!!!
I know that exchanges and day trips are now almost impossible (health and safety mean most trips have to be through a specialist company to cover the possibility of litigation ) but maybe schools should do what one of the schools my kids went to did .... parents pay in a 'reasonable sum per month (£30 ?) and ALL trips etc come out of this!
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jeeze..some of you where truly spoilt… :o
the area i grew up is was so poor we didn't even have a 6th form
and school trips where just a dream, apart from the one time when the head mistress got her husband to take us to the local pet centre….only 7 of us could go, thats all he could fit on the milk float, 3 hours it took us, he had to make deliveries on the way, mind you..those bread and dripping sarnies where wonderful
:-J ;D
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one of the mums whose child is going on this trip to China is shouting about it on FB, how wonderful it is and how they could never have given her this opportunity etc etc and she has come in for some flak from others, all asking the same as me, why China ???
These kids are all 13/14 years of age!!! If she wants to go to China then surely she can sort that out for herself when she GROWS UP like most people do?
I might be wrong, but I suspect its as much to do with the teacher who organises these trips every year, China must be on her 'bucket list' :-J
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China must be on her 'bucket list' :-J
Getting nearer to the truth.
£2,000 - crikey.
One of my kids went to Russia for a week on a school trip and didn't really gain anything & never did appreciate the sacrifice we made to send him.
He has a couple of kids now so he will understand soon enough.
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China must be on her 'bucket list' :-J
Getting nearer to the truth.
£2,000 - crikey.
One of my kids went to Russia for a week on a school trip and didn't really gain anything & never did appreciate the sacrifice we made to send him.
He has a couple of kids now so he will understand soon enough.
they are supposed to be going to an orphange and helping in a soup kitchen for a day while they are in China ???
My eldest son just bought his first car last week and its amazing how all of a sudden he understands why I wouldn't run him here there and everywhere! His brother asked him to take him down to the village (14 miles away) and the response was " have you any idea how much petrol costs up here?!)
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My son was starving when he got back from Russia because he wouldn't eat sour cabbage for breakfast! :roflanim:
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imagine the gorgeous old fergie you could with £2k.
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I was talking with a friend this morning whose son is going on a school trip next week for a whole month. They are going to Peru, travelling to various places, staying with a village family for ten days, with the intention of, literally, mucking in, or out, helping to rebuild a school, trekking through part of the Amazon basin, up to Machu Pichu of course, and various things I've forgotten. My friend had absolutely no chance of raising the 4.5 K needed, so paid a deposit of £250 for her son. The lad then earned the rest, all of it, himself, doing things such as decorating, washing cars, packing at checkouts, anything he could find. He managed to earn the whole lot, and I think will have the experience of a lifetime, an experience he has worked so hard to get. He's fifteen years old. There are twenty of them going on the trip, and everyone of them has raised the money themselves, in a similar manner.
Do our kids expect that kind of handout from their parents? I doubt it very much. If they really want to go, they will make the money themselves.
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When I was at school i went on a ski trip to italy, it cost around £700 plus having to buy all the ski equipment etc. My dad paid for it but i know that I would never be able to afford such a trip for my children.
My eldest daughter went on a day trip to mainland a few weeks ago to the leisure center where they had lots of activities and a roller disco. The ferry fee was funded by the community council so it cost me £3.
And i'll bet they had a lot more fun than seeing the Great Wall of China - it's a wall - so what! :innocent:
:sofa:
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Although the idea of children earning the money for themselves is a worthy one in some places there just aren't the opportunities to do so. If we start aying them for doing chores that they currently do for free we still end up paying and the message that sends is not a good one. My daughter works as a part-time waitress at our most local inn, three miles away, and prefers doing the evening shift as she gets more in tips, but we have to turn out drive her there and back in any case. She had an opportunity to work at a high end restaurant that's only open on Friday and Saturday nights but as her shift would have ended at midnight we made our feelings quite clear on chauffeuring for that one!
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The people I work for paid £2700 for their son to go on a two week school trip to India at Easter, and they are just paying a similar amount for their daughter to spend a month in Thailand over the summer.
I know even if our School had trips abroad, being one of 4 children, my parents could not afford it. But the furthest I went was London for the day, to see something at the Royal Albert Hall, and we had a day in York. Most trips were to the lovely Peak District countryside, on a noisy old coach - but I have happy memories of those days out. Always had egg butties and a banana for my lunch, and a bottle of pop. In those days (mid sixties) it was still ok for you to pack your child off with a glass bottle in their bag
To be honest, I do not feel I missed out. In fact I have never been abroad, and have no wish to do so!!
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I went to Australia 6 years ago for 4 weeks and, though it was lovely to see my brother and his family and I was enthralled by the scenery and wildlife I was so homesick that I couldn't fully appreciate it all.
I remember school trips as a child being "nature walks" no more than half a mile from home ;D
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I wonder if the secondary schools teachers who have the bright idea of taking the children on these very expensive trips ever consider that nowadays, unlike when they were at school, University costs a great deal of money. My daughter is considering some kind of veterinary course which could mean 5 years x £9K, plus fees may increase, then there's everything from travel back and forth to Uni to lab coats. It hurts my bank balance just to think about it!
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funnily enough, after speaking to some other people with connections to the school, children or working in the school, the recurring response seemed to be oh its Miss M....'s holiday plans!
While it's great that there is one teacher that is willing to take the pupils on long haul holidays etc, it's just out of the realm of possibility for most parents, not just me.
I did hear a rumour that there is a school trip to Brussels which to me sounds far more relevant with the upcoming EU referendum etc but my son's not come home with any info about it so it may not be open to all pupils.
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-33047817 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-33047817)
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I saw this on FB Clarebelle, so it's becoming a nationwide issue ???